WEEK 5 - CULTURAL DIFFERENCES CONCERNING TIME

I am the teacher at Sunday School in Brazil, and I start the lesson on time whether all students are there or not. I must begin my class at ten o’clock, so, after three years of teaching this class, most of my students are on their chairs five minutes before ten o’clock.  My students know that I am punctual because I respect the first person who arrived on time.

Monochronic or Polychronic?

Speaking about punctuality, I learned two new words today: monochronic and polychronic. According to professor Ivers, the monochronic world “is oriented to tasks, schedules, and procedures,” and this is a sacred thing. On the other hand, the polychronic world “is ruled by the relationships and family, not by the schedules.” I found out that Brazil is a polychronic culture. Then, I wondered, “Am I a monochronic or polychronic person?” I concluded that I am a little of both because schedules and relationships are relevant. However, I can’t forget that relationships are more important than schedules. And that is essential if I want to be an ESL teacher.

In brief, a monochronic person usually will schedule one thing at a time because punctuality and commitment are in his blood.  A polychronic person will plan more than one thing at the same time because family comes first.

There is a Time for Everything!

Cultural differences concerning time are significant and affect our interaction with people. After watching the video and writing about the subject, I paused a little to ponder why the other institutions I studied before never taught this topic. I recognize that knowledge is power, and this assignment helped me see other people's perspectives relating to time.